tlk52

This interview was new to me and touches on some issues that get a lot of discussion here. Among other things, the future of the Aikikai and international organizational issues, the nature of teaching & ranking, etc... Yamada Sensei said several things that I find thought provoking

for the context, the full article is well worth reading, and is at
"http://www.aikido-yamada.eu/index.php/sensei/interview/"

here are some quotes,

"As I said before, what is good about aikido is also the problem of aikido. I don’t call aikido ‘budo’ anymore because what makes Aikido so popular is its flexibility, lack of competition, no physical requirements. Anybody can practice. That is a good part of aikido. I’m always happy to see people who have a physical problem that would prevent them from practicing other martial arts enjoying themselves with aikido. That is the beauty of Aikido. If Aikido were pure budo, it wouldn’t be so popular.... " Y. Yamada

"Well, the ranking system in aikido is another headache. I personally disagree with this system. A teaching certificate is okay, a black belt is okay. But after that, no numbers, no shodan, no nidan, etc. People know who is good and who is bad. ..." Y. Yamada

"...In my opinion, the time of spreading aikido to the world is finished; now we have to focus on quality."Y. Yamada